7 Flowing Tips for Starting a Yoga Business Online
o you have a great self-care routine? Perhaps you’re a yoga and meditation practitioner or you may have even gone through a yoga teacher training course or even children's yoga teacher training. And you would like to make a career out of teaching yoga and meditation but are worried about running an in-person yoga studio. Will a brick and mortar studio be a good fit for you?
You may have a lot of demands on your time already. Running from here to there. Picking up the kids and dropping them off. Rushing to work and then rushing to the grocery store. You’re amazed that anyone has the time even teach yoga, let alone run a yoga studio.
You may not be aware of it, but millions of people are participating in online yoga classes every day. People realize the importance of staying healthy, both emotionally and physically, and they too have busy lives. Well, there’s nothing better than carving out some time in your busy day to do something for yourself, like taking a yoga class.
And there’s also nothing like teaching yoga on your own time. You could spread the idea of self-care to students half-way around the world, or just down the street. By teaching yoga online, the sky’s the limit. You could work on your own time as you no longer need to run a business, any business, from 9 to 5. And you could start a community of like-minded people from all over. A community of friendship and support!
Read on as we show you how easy it is to start a yoga business online.
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How do I start an online yoga business?
There are a variety of ways you can start a yoga business online. You could offer YouTube videos, downloadable videos on your own site, real-time streaming video classes, and even branded merchandise, or a combination of the three, and embark on a successful online yoga career!
Let’s delve deeper into how to start online yoga business. You’ll have to decide who your audience will be and what you want to concentrate on. You’ll need to decide how you are going to sell your product, on your own website or someone else’s platform.
There is a lot of planning that will go into starting a yoga business online, but if you work hard and are passionate, you’ll be attracting students and earning money in a short amount of time.
If you want to take it a step further, you can take a yoga business course online, which will help you be prepared and have everything you need to start an online yoga business.
So, read on as we discuss how much you should charge for online yoga classes and what equipment you’ll need to teach classes online. Plus, we’ll list the 7 Flowing Tips for Starting a Yoga Business Online.
How do I charge for online yoga classes?
No longer will you have to base your online yoga class prices on what people locally are charging. Since you will be teaching online, you will be teaching to a worldwide audience.
So, you’ll have to do your research. You’ll need to check out other online yoga classes and see what they charge. You don’t want to charge too much as you may find students are bypassing you for other, less expensive teachers.
But you also don’t want to charge too little. You could set your prices right in the middle and then, if you have to change them in the future, you can.
What equipment is needed for teaching yoga online?
Below is a list of some of the important tech equipment you should think of buying to give your videos a sharp, professional look when you are planning to start a yoga business online. However, while you’re starting your online yoga business, you may not be able to afford to buy everything on this list. And that’s okay. Purchase what you can. And when you begin earning money, you can upgrade or buy more equipment.
- Microphone: Get a wireless microphone that you can clip to your shirt.
- Audio mixer and speaker: Run your yoga music through an audio mixer for a more professional sound. And make sure you have a speaker, so you’ll be able to hear the music as well.
- Camera and tripod: You can use your iPhone, an SLR with video capability, a video camera, or a webcam. You’ll also need to make sure you have a stable tripod.
- Lighting: You’ll need professional lighting so that your videos will have a professional look to them.
- Video storage: Your videos are going to be huge, so you’ll need a lot of external video storage.
- Fast computer and great internet connection: You probably already have both, but in case you don’t, now is a great time to upgrade.
7 Flowing Tips for Starting a Yoga Business Online
You’ll read a lot of advice on how to start a yoga business online. We’ve done the research, taken the best tips and compiled them for you.
1. Find your audience
1. Find your audienceJust like at a brick-and-mortar yoga studio, you’ll need to decide who your will be teaching to, and what will you be offering to them. For instance, will your online yoga school be for advanced Ashtanga yoga students, ones who know the basics and just want to be led through a vigorous class?
Or, will your class be for newbies? People who have never practice yoga before and who will need many if not all poses clearly demonstrated to them.
Will your instruction include meditation, Ayurvedic teachings, chakra exploration, etc.?
2. Find a good online platform to host live classes
If you’re planning to start a yoga business online, you’ll need to find a platform on which to host the classes. Some popular platforms include:
A great free choice, you can transmit a class to any members of your page or to a specific group.
Also free but no way to restrict access.
Free, and you can monetize both by charging access to the stream and via ads. Plus, you’ll have a private link that you can share.
There is a monthly charge for Zoom. However, you’ll be able to restrict access to paid customers.
There is also a charge, but you’ll be able to offer your class in a specific “room.”
3. Sell pre-taped video classes
For the price of a good camera, and perhaps some special lighting, you could begin monetizing YouTube videos or sell videos from your website just like that. Not only will you be able to make a living, but you’ll be able to share your love of yoga across the world.
YouTube monetization
It’s pretty simple to monetize your yoga videos on YouTube when you decide to start a yoga business online. You just need to choose how you want to do it. You can choose to monetize through:
Merch – Branded t-shirts, water bottles, etc.
Ads
Channel memberships
Super Chat & Super Stickers (live content)
And, YouTube Premium
Selling videos on demand on your website
You could sell videos and related branded merchandise on your own website.
- Find a platform on which you can build your website and sell your videos/merch – unless you know how to code, it’s easier if you choose a platform that will guide you in setting up the website and sales
- Do competitive research to price your videos and merch
- Market your videos via email, Facebook, and other social media – some platforms give you access to email lists
4. Use Social Media to market your business
Facebook and Instagram reign supreme to start a yoga business online. But, make sure you plan updates for when the majority of your students are awake. If you plan to teach students in time zones different that your own, you may want to advertise in other time zones. But, when you’re advertising in your own time zone, do it at optimum times. In fact, researchers have found the best times to post on Facebook – twice per day, 7 days a week, at 10:08 am and 3:04 pm.
5. Create a great website
Your website will show people who you are and what your company is about. If you are a tech-minded person, you could code your own website, giving it features like spaces to sell merch, classes, etc. Or, you could host your website on Wix, WordPress or Squarespace, which all allow for a great deal of customization and don’t require a lot of technical knowledge.
6. Begin an email newsletter
It’s important that you inform your students about all of your offerings, and an email newsletter is an integral part of that. You’ll also drive visitors to your website and social media. Two favorites email clients are MailChimp and Convertkit. You can also use email to mail specials and sales to your students.
7. Set up your at-home teaching space
You’ll know from online meetings that it is very important to have the right background and practice space. You’ll want your students to take you seriously. You’ll want them to respect you and trust that you’re a competent yoga teacher. And, to do that, you will need to create yoga space that looks great on camera, does not distract and reflects the high standard of your teaching. Check out other online yoga teachers and see what their spaces look like. Do they teach in a classroom setting? A room at home? Outside? Incorporate the elements that feel natural and right for you and shoot some test videos to make sure things look right on camera.
For more online yoga business ideas, follow that link!
Wrap up
Yes, there’s a lot to keep in mind if you’re going to start a yoga business online. And it may seem overwhelming.
But, you don’t need to be a technical wiz. And you don’t need to begin with every piece of equipment we’ve suggested.
Start small and then as your business grows, you can invest in higher level equipment and even rent a practice space.
However, when you are first embarking on your journey to start a yoga business online, it’s okay to have the bare minimum. But, all of our tips and tricks for starting an online yoga business, pricing your classes and buying equipment will help you when the time comes for the next step. Start off by investing in a camera. Find a reputable platform to stream from. And brainstorming what type of merchandise you want to sell. Make the decisions that will aid in monetizing your business. Perhaps something like a professional audio mixer is something you’ll buy down the line as it’s nice to have but won’t make or break the business.
Ultimately, don’t lose sight of why you decided to start a yoga business online. Always remember that you’re doing this to spread the joy of yoga and self-care to those who need it and will benefit from it. If you don’t forget the importance of yoga, you’ll find that students flock to your business!
